Cathy Resmer already posted about Kurt Vonnegut's passing, but I can't help but also make note.
Let's talk about what KV did to/for our developing minds when we initially encountered his work.
Me first: I remember the first Vonnegut book I read was Cat's Cradle. I thought, "My God, how can this cranky bastard have such incredible tone?" Actually, it was probably more like, "Wow, now I know why Joe Satriani has a song called Ice 9." Cut me some slack — I was 14.
Your turn.